In EP0794016A1 is disclosed an apparatus and method for stamping the surface of a substrate with a flexible stamp, having a stamping surface that includes a predetermined pattern. The method includes the steps of placing the substrate on a support structure, wetting the stamping surface with a solution containing a self-assembled monolayer-forming molecular species, aligning alignment patterns on the flexible stamp with alignment patterns on the surface of the substrate prior to controllably contacting the wetted stamping surface with the substrate surface such that contact commences at the centre of the flexible stamp and proceeds outwardly in a controlled manner by changing a pressure differential across the flexible stamp. The process of controllably contacting the wetted stamping surface includes the establishment of an initial contact between the surface and the centre of the flexible stamp followed by proceeding of the formation of the contact outwardly in a controlled manner from the initial contact. The method describes a method for lateral alignment of the flexible stamp to the substrate before contacting the stamp to the substrate.
The method has the disadvantage that the lateral alignment of the flexible stamp and the surface of the substrate is inaccurate especially when alignment is desired at micrometer scale or less.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus with which improved lateral alignment between two surfaces that are brought in physical contact is achieved.